


Stephanie Brown Can't Sleep

by Whoops_myhand_slipped



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Cassandra Cain is Black Bat, Child Neglect, Clue-Master is a dumb villain anyway, Family, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I am tired, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl, Stephanie and Cassandra are best friends, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23213029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whoops_myhand_slipped/pseuds/Whoops_myhand_slipped
Summary: Stephanie's brain is running a mile a minute after an embarrassing mistake while fighting Scarecrow.
Relationships: Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain
Comments: 2
Kudos: 54





	Stephanie Brown Can't Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, so I'd never thought I'd actually post anything. But I guess after years of reading fanfiction, I had to write at least one. And there isn't nearly enough Stephanie centric fics, so I wrote one at 3 am. No beta, but feedback is appreciated!

Stephanie Brown can’t sleep.

That’s the grand conclusion she comes up with after rolling around her bed six times to find a more comfortable sleeping position. Her brain just hasn’t stopped running. From the utter embarrassment down in the cave. She called Bruce Wayne, the Batman, dad. True, she was hyped up on Scarecrow’s latest fear toxin, and that’s a good excuse and all, but it wasn’t like a flashback or anything. A gosh-darn “ Dad, don’t go!”. Now don’t get all confused, It’s not like Stephaine wants a trip down memory lane, and see all those lovely memories of her dear-old-deadbeat dad. But that was the thing! She has a dad. Why on Earth did she call Bruce “dad”?

Stephanie lets out an audible sigh and stares at the ceiling of the guest room. It’s the protocol, for anyone dosed with fear toxin to spend the night at the Wayne Manor. For observation or something like that. 

Moving again, so her head is danging off the foot of the bed, Stephanie stares at the bookcase across the room. Struggling to make out the titles of the books upside down and in the dark, she wonders, again, just how mad would Bruce be if she just, snuck out?

Nope. Let’s not put one of the best things to ever happen to Stephanie on the line. Sure, she complains all the time about how hard it is to balance college and Batgirl. That does not mean that she doesn’t want Batgirl. 

So she lets her mind drift off again, maybe she’ll fall asleep and worry about how to face everyone in the morning. As her eyes droop shut, there is a sharp pain that shoots up her neck. Nice to know that sleeping upside down and hanging off the edge of a bed isn’t the best. 

“Ugh”

Stephanie sits up, turns around, and flops face-first into the too soft pillows. Maybe she’ll suffocate, and then she wouldn’t have to deal with this mini-crisis. A minute passes. She rolls onto her back, and at the same place, she was thirty minutes ago. A glance at the clock tells her that it’s been;  
Two-ish hours since Steph was carried up and into bed (God so embarrassing)  
Three hours since she called Bruce “dad” (mortifying)  
And zero hours of sleep.

Now, Stephanie wishes she accepted the sedative from Alfred. But no, she has to be tough all the time. A puff of frustration leaves her mouth, as she sits up and looks around the room for her phone. Maybe reading some dumb conspiracies about who or what was The Batman will help her sleep. Sliding off the side of her bed, Stephanie looks on the dresser next to the bed, then by the table underneath the painting, then on the bookcase, and her eyes are drawn to a note on the bedside table. 

“Miss Stephanie, I am afraid the use of your cellular would impede on your rest. I have taken the liberty to charge it, and it will be returned promptly to you in the morning,  
Rest well,  
Alfred”

Well.  
Shoot.  
That plan is now out the window. Stephanie climbs back onto her bed. Guest bed. Not hers. She climbs into the guest bed, props up those stupid, too soft pillows, and closes her eyes.   
Breathe in.  
Breathe out.  
Deeper breaths calm the mind.  
In. Out.   
Oh, that was so not working. Stephanie’s bleary eyes opened back up, back to the ceiling she’s been glaring at for the past,  
Turning to the clock again she sees a new time and,  
“It’s only three-thirty?! Gaaah!”  
She yanks a stupid too soft pillow out from under her head and slams it on top of her face. It’s obvious that “rest” was just not on her brain’s agenda, so the only viable option is mulling over her newfound crisis. Who knows? Maybe she’ll have it solved by breakfast.

And back to the crisis she went. So, calling Bruce dad. That has had to have happened before, right? She can’t be the only protege to have called him that. The real question is why? 

“Ooh, that was a mistake” Stephanie whined out. And suddenly, and very rudely she might add, the hellish nightmare concocted by the fear toxin slammed into her brain.

“ Dad! What the hell?!”  
A horrified Stephanie gasped at her dad, caught red-handed counting the drug money in his hand.  
“Kid, if you’re not gunna help, you need to leave” Arthur slurred. “Shit, I lost count”  
“Dad you said you’d give it up! You pinky promised!”  
Arthur abruptly stood up, letting the chair in the basement crash onto the ground. As he stomped up the stairs to the basement doorway, Stephanie was trying so hard to not shake. He fisted her nightshirt as he brought her up to is eye level  
“ Kid, when you gunna learn there ain’t no value in pinky promises!”  
Stephanie couldn’t help her chin wobbling or the fact that her eyes were becoming cloudy.  
“Dad stop! You’re hurting me!”  
Arthur dropped her, turning away and sluggishly going down the stairs.  
“Kid, what’d I say about crying?”

Suddenly, she was older and watching as Batman and Robin apprehended her dad.

“Batman?! Robin?!” The surprised shout from her dad alerted all those idiots around him, frantically searching for a weapon against the vigilantes.  
The fight was swift, as the henchmen a third rate villain could get aren’t very smart. As the dynamic duo hogtied the men, Clue Master locked eyes with Stephanie, in her shabby homemade costume as Spoiler.  
“You BRAT!! YOU GAVE UP YOU’RE OWN BLOOD??”  
Stephanie backed further into the wall across from the open window, hoping to blend in with the night, hating feeling like a little kid again.  
“WHY YOU LITTLE SHIT-”  
“That’s enough Arthur” Batman slapped a piece of tape over his mouth, blocking his profanities.  
“Shit!” Stephanie exclaimed, abruptly sitting up in the bed. She did NOT give the okay in her brain to go through those again. But that is what confused her. Why is she so scared of her dad? Hell, most of the people who sign up for this gig don’t have any dads, shouldn’t she be grateful?

Running her hands across her face, she looked around the room for what had felt like the millionth time. Her brain going faster than ever. Why is she so stuck? She can’t get over calling Bruce “dad”, which is a completely valid thing to do if you’ve been drugged. She is stuck being afraid of her dad, who is in prison, still. And she’s stuck in this stupid room! With these stupid pillows!

Grabbing one said pillow, she throws it away from her. The stupid pillow lands softly against the glass of the window.

Ah-ha!

The window.

She gracefully (tripped) out of the bed and walks (runs) to the window. She looks at the inside frame and sees a silent alarm hooked up to a motion sensor. Easy as pie.

After rendering the alarm as just another decoration, she opens the window. 

It’s not sneaking out if she’s still on the property, right? 

With her will steeled, she climbs out the window, and onto the little ledge. She looks around her, trying to decide what comes next. After some very planned (spontaneous) thought out (she’s been up for more than twenty-four hours people) ideas, she goes back into the room, grabs a blanket and one of the decorative pillows, and climbs up to the roof. 

Before leaving, she glanced at the horrible, slow clock, and saw it was four-thirty am.   
“If I don’t fall asleep on the roof,” she reasoned, “I’ll get to see the sunrise.”  
Stephanie found a flat-ish spot above the room she was staying in. After setting up the blanket and the decorative pillow, and finally (finally) finds a comfy spot, Stephanie looks up.

The violet sky looks back, with the fading stars, as night prepares to transition into day.   
“Holy Bat Cow”  
The moon is never this bright or big in the city. And Stephanie doesn’t remember there being that many stars. She stares up. Just looking. She’s never been much of a space person, like, what was space ever going to do for her? But sitting here, looking up at the fading stars, she finally started to feel tired.

“Don’t sleep on roof”

“AAGH”

Stephanie jumped up, eyes bursting open, in full attack mode, ready to face her cursed enemy. Oh, wait. Its just Cass.

“Cass!” Stephanie exclaimed, “You scared the living daylights out of me!” Pointing an accusing finger at said saboteur of sleep, as Steph sat back down into her makeshift bed.

Cass just shrugged, “ You could fall” she simply stated, taking a seat next to Stephanie. 

“Yeah, but I was just about to fall asleep.” She pouted. Hey, she’s had one of those days. 

“Talk to me,” Cass said, turning towards Stephanie. Stephanie knew she meant, whats wrong Stephanie? Cass’ body language was relaxed, as she slouched towards Steph. 

“I can’t sleep” Stephanie laid back onto the roof, with Cass snuggling up to her, as they both looked at the stars.

“Room bad?” Cass asked cautiously. Again, Steph knew what she meant, did you have a flashback? Did the room trigger something?

“No, I-” Stephanie struggled to find better words, but settled lamely on “I just can’t sleep”

“Find someone?” In Cass language, it was, why didn’t you go and find someone? Everyone in this manor is an insomniac after all.

“Are you kidding? After how everything in the cave went down? No thanks.” Stephanie felt a little bad at snaping at Cass. She turned her embarrassed blush away and back to the lightening sky.

“ Come to me” Cass said dejectedly, complete with the sad pout as she turned her head to Stephanie. Why didn’t you come to me? You can always come to me.

“ See, this is how I know you’re evil Cass, you know that no one can say no to that face,” Stephanie jokingly scolded Cass, and Cass had a little smile on her face and squished even closer to Stephanie.

“Promise” Cass said, looking very serious as she held out a pinky.

Stephanie looked at the pinky, and then into Cass’ eyes. She let out a breath of air as she wrapped her pinky around Cass’ pinky.

“Promise”

The two girls watched the sunrise, pinkys still wrapped with the promise of always being there for one another. 

Who cares that she called Bruce dad anyway? 

After all this, Stephanie came to an important conclusion. If any man deserves the title of “Dad”, it’d be Bruce. God knows he is a far better man than Arthur. He was already better to her than her bio dad anyway. 

“Pretty” Cass mumbled, looking at the sky.  
Hearing Cass’ voice took Stephanie out of her thoughts. Maybe later she can think about dads and families more, but for now? She’ll just watch the sunrise with her sister thank you very much.


End file.
